Part of that lofty mission included the annual Shoot for the Cure initiative, a U Sports campaign to raise funds to support breast cancer research that took to the Jack Simpson Gym floor during Thursday night’s basketball tilt between the two women’s basketball squads represented by the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.

The Dinos won the contest 74-66 to stay unbeaten and improve to 11-0 on the year.

The series wraps up Saturday night in Lethbridge.

The Dinos (11-0) went in after a victorious weekend over the UNBC Timberwolves to start the new year.

But it wasn’t easy. The second of the two wins was close.

“We clearly didn’t play to our regular pace and level of disruption (last weekend),” said Dinos head coach Damian Jennings. “For us, the focus is simply about getting better in the areas we have chosen to hone in on from early December.”

The Dinos went into Thursday’s tilt fighting for first place in Canada West, neck-and-neck with the Saskatchewan Huskies.

Part of their success comes from a strong offensive strategy. Latvian native Liene Stalidzane currently sits in the CW top 10 in points-per-game (14.8), field-goal percentage. (51.4), and three-point pct. (50.0). Fourth-year wing Bobbi-Jo Colburn is ranked fifth in CW for three-point percentage. (41.5), along with 12.7 points per game. Fifth-year Erin McIntosh is close behind with 10.5 points per game, while Sascha Lichtenwald leads the team in rebounding (6.2/game) and steals (28).

The Pronghorns, now 6-7, came in looking to improve from a weekend split against the Regina Cougars, with both games within an eight-point differential. Lethbridge also has a strong offensive front, with grad student guard Asnate Fomina averaging 18 points-per-game and fifth-year guard Kacie Bosch close behind with a 14.7 points-per-game and a team-high of 176 total points. Fifth-year Katie Keith leads the Pronghorns in rebounds with 116 total and a 9.7 per game, while new guard Jessica Haenni leads with 23 three-pointers.

“Lethbridge are well-coached and have great chemistry,” Jennings said. “With Asnate Fomina back in the mix, they add all-star quality to their offensive punch. This is going to be a very difficult defensive series.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

After sweeping the Timberwolves, the Dinos men’s basketball team look to keep the momentum going against the Pronghorns this weekend.

The Dinos square off against the Pronghorns on Thursday night at The Jack.

And the two teams round out the series Saturday night in Lethbridge.

Hosting the UNBC Timberwolves to open the decade, the Dinos came away with two wins on the weekend. The Dinos currently sit atop the Canada West standings with a 10-0 record and have won 29 straight games at home in the regular season.

Fourth-year law student Brett Layton has been laying down the law all season on both ends of the court for the Dinos. Layton was named the Canada West first star this past week and U Sports male athlete of the week after setting a Canada West record in offensive rebounds with 14 on Friday night against the Timberwolves. Layton has been stellar for the Dinos all season, and is the top rebounder in Canada West averaging 14.9 per game.

“I think our team is prepared,” said Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren. “Lethbridge is a good basketball team, and they always play well in their gym. Their tempo is tough, and we’re going to have to do a good job handling the ball.”

The Pronghorns (4-8) came into the series tied for ninth in Canada West.

MEN’S HOCKEY

The Dinos men’s hockey team started off the second half of its season strong with a sweep of the UBC Thunderbirds on the west coast this past week.

The team returns home this weekend for a date with the Manitoba Bisons.

Friday’s game is set for puck-drop at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday matinee starting at 3 p.m. Father David Bauer Arena will play host to both games.

After a successful first half of the season, the Dinos looked to continue that success on their road trip to UBC. After a low-scoring 1-0 win in the first game, the offence game alive in the second matchup, which resulted in a 3-2 shootout win for Calgary.

That makes them 13-3-2 in second place behind the arch-rival Alberta Golden Bears.

Canada West leading scorer Matt Alfaro had a blinding first half that saw him register 26 points on 12 goals and 14 assists. After adding another goal last weekend against the Thunderbirds, the power forward will look to continue his run going deeper into 2020.

Dinos starting goalie Matthew Greenfield, after being sidelined towards the end of November, returned to the net in fine fashion for the first weekend back. Over the two games, Greenfield registered 60 saves while putting up a shutout in the first game of the year.

The Bisons are 8-9-1 for fifth in the Canada West standings.

The Bisons split their first series back against the Mount Royal Cougars at home with a dominant 5-2 win followed by a close 3-2 loss.

During the meeting earlier in the season, the two teams traded wins, which included a thrilling 4-3 double overtime Manitoba victory.

The pair of Manitoba rookie goaltenders look to show promise moving forward as Tyler Brown currently sits sixth in Canada West in save percentage.

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